--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now we have to understand that slavery…" description: "\"Now we have to understand that slavery would not have ended if it was left to the Africans alone, Now, Europe understood that what they were doing then..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/femi-kuti-26345_cannibal_now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-w_2928537.jpg" --- # Now we have to understand that slavery would not have… ![“Now we have to understand that slavery would not have ended if it was left to the Africans alone, Now, Europe understood that what they were doing then was unjust, but imagine the propaganda from kings and queens of Europe to convince their people that we were cannibals, idol worshipers, horrible…” quote by Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/femi-kuti-26345_cannibal_now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-w_2928537.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/femi-kuti-26345_cannibal_now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-w_2928537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/femi-kuti-26345_cannibal_now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-w_2928537.jpg) > “Now we have to understand that slavery would not have ended if it was left to the Africans alone, Now, Europe understood that what they were doing then was unjust, but imagine the propaganda from kings and queens of Europe to convince their people that we were cannibals, idol worshipers, horrible people, bastards, godless monkeys.” [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that slavery persisted because Europeans used propaganda to dehumanize Africans, justifying exploitation. **In simple terms:** Europe used propaganda to dehumanize Africans, sustaining slavery. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge dehumanizing narratives. Themes history colonialism propaganda Mood reflective critical Type historical educational When to use this quote - academic lectures - human rights campaigns - media literacy workshops Key Concepts education human rights advocacy media analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does propaganda shape perceptions? - What steps can dismantle dehumanizing myths? A Different Perspective Historical narratives can be biased and incomplete. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Africans Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africans-europe-4304726/) [Cannibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannibal/) [Convince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince/) [Europe Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe-understood-2479973/) [Horrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible/) [Horrible People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible-people/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Propaganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propaganda/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slavery Ended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-ended-3122132/) [Understand Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-slavery-1545935/) ## Related quotes > [There are some really great books that have been written about slavery, but I don't think that the discourse about it in society has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-are-some-really-great-books-that-have-been-written-about/) [James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/) > [“The Schleswig-Holstein question is so complicated, only three men in Europe have ever understood it. One was Prince Albert, who is dead. The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-palmerston/the-schleswig-holstein-question-is-so-complicated-only-three-men-in/) [Lord Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-palmerston/) > [Europe must be understood and controlled by its citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/europe-must-be-understood-and-controlled-by-its-citizens/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [The Schleswig-Holstein question is so complicated, only three men in Europe understood it. One was Prince Albert, who is dead. The second was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/the-schleswig-holstein-question-is-so-complicated-only-three-men-in-2/) [Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/) > [The acceptance of the facts of African-American history and the African-American historian as a legitimate part of the academic community did not come easily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/the-acceptance-of-the-facts-of-african-american-history-and-the/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [“Slavery never ended it just evolved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/slavery-never-ended-it-just-evolved/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [“Slavery ended in medieval Europe only because the church extended its sacraments to all slaves and then managed to impose a ban on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/slavery-ended-in-medieval-europe-only-because-the-church-extended-its/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [The greatest evil of American slavery was not involuntary servitude but rather the narrative of racial differences we created to legitimate slavery. Because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-greatest-evil-of-american-slavery-was-not-involuntary-servitude/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [Slavery ended, but the idea of race lived on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/slavery-ended-but-the-idea-of-race-lived-on/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Being in Harlem on the night of Barack Obama's election was extraordinary. It was the best street party I have ever gone to, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/being-in-harlem-on-the-night-of-barack-obama-s-election-was/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [I can't say with certainty that slavery would have ended more quickly and more completely if the South had been allowed to leave and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/i-can-t-say-with-certainty-that-slavery-would-have-ended-more-quickly/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [Slavery ended and left its false images of black people intact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/slavery-ended-and-left-its-false-images-of-black-people-intact/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [The question of what actually caused the Civil War is secondary to the result of the Civil War, which is that after the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stewart/the-question-of-what-actually-caused-the-civil-war-is-secondary-to/) [Corey Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stewart/) > [If you give up the horrible people in your past WIN, if you fight and move on you WIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-you-give-up-the-horrible-people-in-your-past-win-if-you-fight-and/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Stupidity without malice isn't horrible; some people can't help it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/stupidity-without-malice-isn-t-horrible-some-people-can-t-help-it/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) ## More by Femi Kuti > [Looking deeper into African way of life, it wasn't religious; it was spiritual. When you go into spiritualism, spiritualism will teach you about virtues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/looking-deeper-into-african-way-of-life-it-wasn-t-religious-it-was/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [Someone asked me what legacy I wanted to leave and all my answers were so long that I even bored him. I said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/someone-asked-me-what-legacy-i-wanted-to-leave-and-all-my-answers/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [We need to teach our children history, right from the primary school level, for them to better understand the issues. In my son's school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/we-need-to-teach-our-children-history-right-from-the-primary-school/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [I just practice. I do six hours of practice everyday. I set to teach myself the trumpet they all said I would never play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/i-just-practice-i-do-six-hours-of-practice-everyday-i-set-to-teach/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [When I die, I want to see Malcom X, Lumumba, my father, and I want to be able to look them in the eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/when-i-die-i-want-to-see-malcom-x-lumumba-my-father-and-i-want-to-be/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [Whenever I'm faced with an issue, I deal with it squarely, even if I was going to fail, I try to learn from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/whenever-i-m-faced-with-an-issue-i-deal-with-it-squarely-even-if-i/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [I don't smoke or drink, but I will not tell you that I won't smoke again. Probably I will when I'm 60.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/i-don-t-smoke-or-drink-but-i-will-not-tell-you-that-i-won-t-smoke/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [I'm not saying we are not to be held accountable. What I'm saying is that we need to appreciate past, if you don't appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/i-m-not-saying-we-are-not-to-be-held-accountable-what-i-m-saying-is/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [Our leaders should start talking as leaders. They talk like puppets. It might take us another 100 years to come out of this phase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/our-leaders-should-start-talking-as-leaders-they-talk-like-puppets-it/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [Spirituality is when we can't explain everything in life, totally. So, we have a spiritual meaning for it; we don't know why we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/spirituality-is-when-we-can-t-explain-everything-in-life-totally-so/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [Before slavery, Africa had a culture. We had medicine and our cure for malaria. Slavery brought diseases that we were not used to; slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/before-slavery-africa-had-a-culture-we-had-medicine-and-our-cure-for/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [I will never put anybody before my family because your family is your family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/i-will-never-put-anybody-before-my-family-because-your-family-is-your/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [Africans should be talking and ask questions, like why does America and Russia have the right to veto votes? These countries talk about democracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/africans-should-be-talking-and-ask-questions-like-why-does-america/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [I know I trust people too much, although I try to be a bit firm, but it is a fault that we have learnt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/i-know-i-trust-people-too-much-although-i-try-to-be-a-bit-firm-but-it/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [I don't understand, who is God. I don't understand God. But to simplify that, I will say I believe in creation. They say God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/i-don-t-understand-who-is-god-i-don-t-understand-god-but-to-simplify/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) [Explore all 22 Femi Kuti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) ## More Cannibal quotes > [When I go home my mother and I play a cannibal game; we eat each other over the years, tender morsel by morsel until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-howard/when-i-go-home-my-mother-and-i-play-a-cannibal-game-we-eat-each-other/) [Maureen Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-howard/) > [You're just a cannibal and I'm afraid, I won't get out alive I won't sleep tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neon-trees/you-re-just-a-cannibal-and-i-m-afraid-i-won-t-get-out-alive-i-won-t/) [Neon Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neon-trees/) > [I spent years working in low-budget horror films. When you've done 'Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death,' you can handle anything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-barbeau/i-spent-years-working-in-low-budget-horror-films-when-you-ve-done/) [Adrienne Barbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-barbeau/) > [We are on strike against martyrdom—and against the moral code that demands it. We are on strike against those who believe that one man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-on-strike-against-martyrdom-and-against-the-moral-code-that/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/is-it-true-that-cannibals-don-t-eat-clowns-because-they-taste-funny/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Cannibals prefer those who have no spines..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-lem/cannibals-prefer-those-who-have-no-spines/) [Stanislaw Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-lem/) > [“Don’t trust the cannibal just ’cos he’s usin’ a knife and fork!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/don-t-trust-the-cannibal-just-cos-he-s-usin-a-knife-and-fork/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Cannibal: epicures who abstain from alcohol and tobacco. As moral guides, they are underutilized in the police forces of modern societies.  ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/cannibal-epicures-who-abstain-from-alcohol-and-tobacco-as-moral/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [It is easier for a cannibal to enter the Kingdom of Heaven through the eye of a rich man's needle that it is for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-easier-for-a-cannibal-to-enter-the-kingdom-of-heaven-through/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/most-of-the-people-will-have-died-and-the-rest-of-us-will-be-cannibals/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [Are there any vegetarians among cannibals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/are-there-any-vegetarians-among-cannibals/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [Whenever cannibals are on the brink of starvation, Heaven, in its infinite mercy, sends them a fat missionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/whenever-cannibals-are-on-the-brink-of-starvation-heaven-in-its/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Carrie the Cannibal:she was raised in a posh house, without any parents. she was a slave. She always had a strange tasting for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaylee/carrie-the-cannibal-she-was-raised-in-a-posh-house-without-any/) [Kaylee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaylee/) > [No. The moral of the story in so far as it has one is that cannibals can study logic, and that if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/no-the-moral-of-the-story-in-so-far-as-it-has-one-is-that-cannibals/) [Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/) > [“Victory will be ours!roared Joe Bob the Cannibal. "We will feast on your bones!" I wanted to tell him he was taking the dodgeball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/victory-will-be-ours-roared-joe-bob-the-cannibal-we-will-feast-on/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) [Browse all 150 Cannibal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannibal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now we have to understand that slavery would not have ended if it was left to the Africans alone, Now, Europe understood that what they were doing then was unjust, but imagine the propaganda from kings and queens of Europe to convince their people that we were cannibals, idol worshipers, horrible people, bastards, godless monkeys.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Femi Kuti" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-would-not-have-ended-if-it-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cannibal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-would-not-have-ended-if-it-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/femi-kuti-26345_cannibal_now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-w_2928537.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/femi-kuti-26345_cannibal_now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-w_2928537.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/femi-kuti-26345_cannibal_now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-w_2928537.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now we have to understand that slavery would not have ended if it was left to the Africans alone, Now…” — Femi Kuti", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Femi Kuti", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Now we have to understand that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-would-not-have-ended-if-it-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/now-we-have-to-understand-that-slavery-would-not-have-ended-if-it-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```